The Healing Gift Of Nature

March 7, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

I had a great hike into the mountains yesterday. It wasn’t a long hike because I had a couple meetings but I knew I needed some fresh air and time to connect to SELF.

I had never been on this particular trail and I came across a bridge over a very full creek which was loud and forceful. I kept walking up the mountain through big trees, beautiful green moss and ferns.

What time is it? Do I have to get back? Make sure you aren’t late for your appointments…

Chatter started to fill my head.

I STOPPED.

I watched my dog as she explored the trees, roots, leaves and branches on the forest floor. She was in the moment. I love her for reminding me to take life today…not later today or earlier today…but right NOW…

I kept walking, climbing up and down the trail taking in every detail. The quiet of the forest was peaceful and exactly what I needed. It wasn’t a huge workout for my body but it was a calming of my mind offering serenity and peace.

On my return I stopped at the bridge I had crossed earlier. I stood in the middle facing the water. With spring approaching and the winter snow melting, the water was loud and the sound consumed me. I listened to it roar and let it fill my head.

I had a moment of clarity realizing the very thing I SEEK I also BLOCK due to my deeply rooted belief system.

I took a deep breath and visualized the clean, crisp and powerful water flowing through me…bringing all the things I desire in my life. Because the water was so loud, negative thoughts couldn’t form in my head to counter the visualizing I was doing…

Exhaling, I imagined the water crashing down my walls; which, consciously or unconsciously, I’ve built around what I desire. The negative beliefs, fears and debilitating thoughts were washed down the mountain, into the ocean and far away from my life…

It was a powerful moment – eyes closed – just visualizing, listening to the force of the water surrounded by the quiet of the trees and surrendering myself to that moment.

I love my time with nature because everything becomes crystal clear…I have the quiet but incredibly strong sense of what I need to do and the TRUST I spoke of yesterday to fulfill my purpose.

I realized all I desire to experience in life is trying to make its way to me…I AM THE ONE STOPPING IT.

Just like I visualized with the water, I need to allow life to flow through me…

As I returned home, although I didn’t have a runner’s high, I had a nature high. Connecting with nature is so important to wellness both physically and mentally. I felt happy and serene after that short little hike. I found my inner solitude and it stayed with me for the rest of the day.

If you have the ability to connect with nature this weekend, I highly recommend it. You’ll find it to be very healing.

With a smile,

Tina

 

Trust vs Fear

March 6, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

This past week had everything to do with TRUST and everything to do with FEAR.

I put an enormous amount of TRUST into people I don’t know. This was scary for me but also quite liberating. I had to TRUST that my initial meeting with them was from a place of INTEGRITY and they were going to HONOR that integrity.

I made some pretty big decisions and I had to put TRUST into those decisions without seeing past the consequences of how it will work out because in all honesty, I have no idea how it will work out!

Once I let go of my FEAR, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Let me tell you, it was not pretty releasing that fear. I put myself through a helluva week but I reminded myself: I am a SURVIVOR; I am STRONGER than I give myself credit and I need to remember that I have everything I need to be SAFE, SECURE and HAPPY. I decided to TRUST and BELIEVE it will be okay…seems so simplistic doesn’t it? Sometimes the best answers to complicated questions are the most basic and elementary.

In addition, I had to TRUST that saying goodbye, although difficult, is a good choice when you know in your heart that you are limiting someone’s experience and you can’t give them what they need.

I also had to TRUST that in other areas of my life, somehow, some way and in some form I will receive the assistance I need. I must continue to move FORWARD instead of being paralyzed by fear and overwhelm TRUSTING that by doing so, ENERGY is created to attract more positive energy.

When fear and anxiety take over, they are very loud and it’s hard to hear the other quiet voice. This past week, I could hear my voice of wisdom but I allowed negative, fearful thoughts to create a riot in my head, taking over until I reached exhaustion. Once I SURRENDERED, the quiet calm of reason and instinct took over.

I don’t pretend to have everything figured out…in fact the more I learn, the less I realize I know…but for today, I trust everything will be okay, and for that, I am grateful.

With a smile,

Tina

 

I Love…

February 26, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

I learn so much from my current and former students (I call them FAMILY) and today’s post is a great example. Sometimes in the midst of change, challenges or adversity, you have to remind yourself of what makes your heart happy.

Here is Kayla’s answer to “What do you love?”. Thank you my darling for allowing me to share your beautiful heart with others:

I love to act. I love to dance. I love to spin and move until my head gets dizzy and my mind is in a haze. I love to sing at the top of my lungs while driving down the highway after school or going to the movies. I love when the wind dances through my hair and I get chills down my spine. I love the summer. I love the fall. I love the look of the leaves when they turn from green to yellow…and then yellow to orange. I love seeing dragonflies in August and how they make me feel safe because they represent my uncle who passed away and it makes me feel like he’s protecting me. I love strawberries and red grapes. I love laughing. I love the feeling you get when you catch yourself smiling for no reason at all…just because you’re happy. I love music that makes you feel; that soothes you; that makes you think. I love bubble baths and getting manicures. I love bright lipstick and I love big comfy sweaters. I love shoes. Oh do I LOVE shoes….I love the colour purple and orange and mixing pink and orange together so it looks like rainbow sherbet. I love having my green tea every morning by 10:00 am. I love wearing fuzzy socks to bed. I love looking at pictures of Paris. I love writing. I love pug dogs… because they are so helpless and adorable and weird and they make me happy. I like poetry about love and friendship. I love old movies. I love weird shaped rings. I love glitter and things that sparkle. I love getting crazy nail designs. I love yoga. I love doing something that is so incredibly hard and then accomplishing it…and that feeling you get afterward that screams I DID IT! I love feeling fearless. I love feeling at peace. I love skiing in the winter time and flying into the air, not knowing whether you’re going to fall on your face or if your skis will find the snow in the right place. I love going to the beach and going for walks in the park in the late afternoon. I love to run. I love girl’s road trips and stopping to take silly side-of-the-road pictures to give evidence to our adventure. I love my dad’s homemade soup on a cold day… or any day. I love when he calls me and somehow knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. I love my best friend. I love how I feel like she is exactly me in a different body form…yet she is so uniquely herself…and she is such a beautiful person. I love Winnie the pooh. I love floating down the channel in Penticton and feeling so out of control and yet liberated at the same time. I love singing in front of the mirror to Cheap Trick and swooning over Jack Johnson while driving to work on Saturday mornings. I love finding quotes that make me smile. I love printed scarves. I love walking through Yaletown. I love adventuring in downtown Toronto and deciding last minute which street to turn onto next. I love shopping! I love the smell of brown sugar perfume and the taste of coconut. I love carrot cake on my Mom’s birthday. I love how my family knows that I love chocolate covered almonds and green tea gingerale….and that they always seem to end up on my bedside table when I’m ill. I love laughing until my throat hurts and I’m literally rolling on the floor. I love lying flat on my bed staring at my roof feeling so infinitely free and full of life and a grin creeps onto my face and I feel like hugging myself. I love not knowing what I’m going to do tomorrow, but knowing that it doesn’t matter as long as I’m with a certain someone. I love feeling rebellious. I love running and sliding on linoleum floors with my socks on and doing air guitar while belting out the lyrics to “What I Like About You” by the Romantics… I love talking until the sun comes up. I love Finding Nemo. I love going to the movies and sharing popcorn on Tuesdays. I love the smell of orchids when you first step outside in Honolulu. I love going outside right after it has stopped raining. I love letting the sun dry my skin after going swimming. I love the gingersnaps our neighbour brings us at christmas time and how they are always still warm when I open the tin. I love seeing couples…especially old couples, who are so in love I can’t help but smile and admire the magic that is between them. I love the idea of having a soul mate. I love going to see live music at small, cozy pubs and coffee shops. I love sipping tea and having conversations that makes my heart ping. I love incorporating my own weird, personal dialect whenever I can. I love making people think. I love learning something new or finding a song that makes me say to myself: How did I not find you sooner? I love listening to a new song over and over again until I memorize the lyrics and make my own meaning of them. I love feeling alive.

It’s such a great answer; I love it! She’s inspired me to start my own list…I encourage you to do the same!

With a smile,

Tina

Speak With Integrity

February 21, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

We are all aware of the BULLYING that is happening in our schools and on line via social media. We tell our kids to SPEAK UP about the abuse but also for others to STEP UP and defend those getting bullied.

WE TELL THEM BULLYING IS WRONG.

Well, have you heard the news that 22 year old professional tennis player, Rebecca Marino has retired from her sport? She mentions part of the reason for leaving is due to challenges with depression which she’s battled for many years. She is currently on medication, working with a counselor and has the support of family and friends around her. She also mentions she is no longer as passionate about tennis and her priorities have changed.

I admire her wisdom and courage at such a young age. What I want to address is the other aspect of her decision. She received a lot of NEGATIVITY via social media. The cyber bullying, criticism, judgments and cruelty became too much.

WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE ARE WE TO OUR CHILDREN IF WE ARE BULLYING AS ADULTS?

We feel we have the right to spew our NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS onto athletes, actors, singers, and anyone in the public eye…anyone with any social media is at risk.

It’s easy to be CRUEL when you are not face to face because you don’t see the CONSEQUENCES of your words and how they IMPACT that individual.

We seem to feel JUSTIFIED because we think they have a glamorous life, lots of money and a support system to protect from the negativity.

We forget they are human.

They have feelings.

They are affected by words and their families are also affected by this negative energy.

We forget they may have ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, OVERWHELMING STRESS or PRESSURES to be perfect, without mistakes or a bad day.

We forget their life is under a microscope all because they chose a field they love: music, film, sports, politics etc.

We love to criticize, critique and berate their performances.

It is one thing to disagree with something someone has said, or dislike someone’s music or be frustrated with your hockey team; it is another to cruelly rip them to shreds with words sharper than razors.

You can disagree or have an opinion and still express your thoughts with RESPECT and INTEGRITY.

I live in Vancouver and I get so weary of the love/hate relationship with our hockey team, the Canucks.

Think about being in their situation: The world posts photos of you tagged with headlines that are derogatory…people scream angrily at you during a ‘game’…one minute you are esteemed as the best, the next everyone turns on you and you are a loser, an idiot…no good…get off the ice…such venom thrown at you, for what? For doing your best? For being human? Because one day you’re on fire and another day you may be more tired, anxious or stressed or the negativity creeps into your performance?

I know, I know, they are getting paid really well and ‘should’ be above such things.

THEY ARE HUMAN.

They worked their butts off and sacrificed to become professionals. We don’t know their personal struggles and what obstacles they have overcome or deal with on a daily basis. We haven’t walked in their shoes.

Before you judge, remember we ALL have a story.

We need to be accountable for our words.

We need to be an example to our children so they understand BULLYING IS NEVER OKAY.

It always starts with one person: You

Speak with integrity or don’t speak at all.

With a smile,

Tina

 

Why Am I Happy Today?

February 19, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

I can see blue skies and sunshine! In Vancouver, the consistent rain and low grey ceiling of clouds and darkness can get to you…when it’s a beautiful day I feel GRATEFUL, HAPPY and I SMILE from the inside out.

I had a fantastic meeting yesterday that filled up my inspiration tank which was running a little low. My energy is now higher; my vision is clearer and I know what I have to do. It doesn’t mean the task is any less daunting or scary, but to RECEIVE REINFORCEMENT, ENCOURAGEMENT, LOVE and SUPPORT, I feel my foundation has been strengthened. I have been told I give and give and give and I need to receive. Yesterday I received and for that I am GRATEFUL.

I made a BIG DECISION that had been weighing on my shoulders for a couple of months. I HAD TO FACE MY REALITY…what actually is happening in my life, not what I thought I should be experiencing in this moment. Once I processed (I cried, ranted, felt sorry for myself and I think I exhausted all possible negative emotions), I FELT LIGHTER AND EMBRACED THE CHANGE.

I will write more on this later but life is like a dance: Sometimes you lead; sometimes you follow; at times you step backwards and then you step forwards; you spin around and around; you embrace; you let go; you dance alone; you dance together but you are always moving to the grace and beauty of the music and how it stirs your soul.

Honestly, I have many challenges ahead of me; it’s called LIFE and like dancing it’s finding the BALANCE and GRACE. As I was told yesterday:

“Tina, just like you ran your 40k on your 40th birthday, you have to take it one step at a time.”

It’s absolutely true. It can get overwhelming to think of everything you have to do, where you want to go, how you want to make a difference in the world, what will create an impact in someone’s life, and the steps to make sure your own needs are being taken care of…but just like my training for 40by40…I started by focusing on 10k first and I celebrated each milestone of the journey.

CELEBRATE. I had lost sight of that concept and I’m grateful for the reminder!

YOU. I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE. I HONOR AND RESPECT THE VERY ESSENCE OF WHO YOU ARE AND THE BEAUTY YOU BRING TO MY LIFE.

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU.

What’s the point of having a great day if you don’t pass it on to others? I hope this day treats you with kind and loving hands. ENJOY!

With a smile,

Tina

 

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